300 years of history for the Strawberry of Plougastel

France

Tuesday 18 March 2014

There is no Plougastel strawberry, but a series of chosen varieties to spread the harvesting from March to late July, however, the variety gariguette is predominant.

The explorer Amédée François Frezier in 1714 brought from a trip to Chile, 5 ft of wild strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) and plant in the botanical garden of Brest and then Plougastel where he later moved them. Local gardeners cross them with varieties came from Virginia.

Around 1760 the plants of strawberries are multiplied because of the exceptional microclimate of Plougastel peninsula and production starts. Around 1850 the export by ship to England began and in 1865, with the arrival of the railway Paris-Brest, the strawberry of Plougastel is routed to the Parisian market and the north of France. Between 1920 and 1950, peak of the production of 6,000 tons / year.

Currently Savéol (brand created in 1981 by the "Company Market Gardening West" born itself from the merger of two cooperatives) produces and sells about 1 700 to 1 800 tons 2000 tons on average per year in Plougastel.

source : saveol, wikipedia, cuisine a la francaise, cote brest fr